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Game of the Decade
Fall 2010 Contest, better known as the Game of the Decade Contest, was the third Games Contest held on GameFAQs. Only games released between 2000 and 2009 were eligible for this bracket. Nominations opened on September 1st, 2010. Ulti's Pre-Contest Analysis Yeah, remember back when this thing started? Probably not, given all the final week hoopla. But back on September 1st, Allen announced this thing. Then after the standard paranoia, things were gradually leaked via Allen's own version of the DOJO and off we went. Format was the same as last winter, but with a twist: Game of the Decade. So no heavy hitters from the 1990s, and nothing from 2010 either much to the disappointment of the various Board 8 denizens that fail at math. That a single topic questioning what a "decade" meant got more than 2 replies is a testament to how badly you people bite at everything. Did you know "gullible" is listed in no dictionary? The contest ended up starting on October 20th, which is a brisk pace. I think the bracket came out less than 2 weeks prior, and some shenanigans took place with Allen coming into board8chat, the vote-in polls and of course the bracket itself. It was a thoroughly well-design mess with no dumb gimmicks like generational gaps or gender splits. Yeah there were a few setups, but nothing worth complaining about since we got Brawl vs Melee and whole ton of unpredictability out of the deal. But before all that, we had to finish getting the field together. Unlike last winter where the vote-ins were stacked and lower seeds made runs, the vote-in polls this year were actually deciding the fodder. In fact all the 1-4 seeds won their first round matches this time around, so there was nothing crazy going on. At least, not at the top. http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=4047 - Assassin's Creed and Devil May Cry getting stuck into a vote-in was a complete disgrace, and it showed in the results. They stomped everything, hinted at DMC3 and AC2 making the bracket with ease, and all the other games were left to pick up scraps. The top 6 games from this poll made it in, which is odd given another poll only had 4. But it's hard feeling bad for Dark Cloud 2 when it misses out on 6th place by 450 votes. BG&E got it worse given its first round opponent was Galaxy. Good grief. http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=4048 - Much more competitive poll all around, and the one that opened the most eyes. First off, this poll had 5 RPGs in it. This meant cannibalism, and in the end it meant Star Ocean 3 and Fire Emblem getting completely screwed. FE10 started strong, but barely missed the cut. Mario Kart DS was laughed at even though it did well, mainly because everyone hates Mario Kart DS, and the top two games more or less shocked everyone. Legend of Dragoon and Star Wars proved themselves legit here, even though neither one went out and won their match. Ninja Gaiden being in this poll and placing was also pretty funny, for reasons we'll get into later. But the big thing here was Legend of Dragoon outright winning this vote-in. That was a fun day on the board, with tons of people arguing about whether the game was good or not. http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=4049 - The worst of the vote-ins. RE5, God of War 2 and Fusion wrecked everything, and inFamous ended up getting in by default from the leftovers. Nothing else even came close, and you get the feeling Allen didn't like this vote-in either with only taking 4 games from it. http://www.gamefaqs.com/poll/index.html?poll=4050 - One day after a poll where 4 games get picked, we get a poll where SEVEN games - Gears 2, SoulCalibur 2, The Sims, Castlevania DoS, Wii Sports, Guitar Hero 2 and Viewtiful Joe -- all get in. Really, we couldn't have dropped a game or two from this poll and taken one of the games from the 4-only poll? Not that any of these games would have won anything, but 6-7-4-7 is strange. I'm guessing Allen went by individual vote totals, which is bizarre when you think about it. The other new thing worth bringing up was the Battle Challenge, which was used only for this contest. It was a cool little bank-or-bust deal where you'd try getting a streak going to increase your points multiplier, but if you got a match wrong you'd lose everything not banked. Cool idea, although the multiplier didn't change from round to round so the late matches became irrelevant since the winner clinched in round 4 or something. It would be cool to see this brought out for special occasions in the future, but with a multiplier tweak so the late rounds meant more. As-is, it favors round 1 far too much. Ulti's Post-Contest Analysis People look forward to my contest ranking every season for whatever reason, and here it is: Fall 2010 (GotD) > Spring 2004 (Games) > Summer 2002 (Characters) > Summer 2003 (Characters) > Winter 2010 (Characters) > Summer 2005 (Characters) > Fall 2009 (Games 4-way) > Summer 2007 (Characters 4-way) > Summer 2006 (Females vs Males) > Spring 2006 (Series) > Summer 2008 (Characters 4-way) > Summer 2004 (Characters) > Spring 2005 (Villains) Yes, I rank Fall 2010 first. Given all the information we have these days, it was the best contest possible and virtually functioned like a contest where we had no info. Even in some cases where we had info we were shocked, like Shadow of the Colossus's run or Majora > GSC. This isn't overrating something recent, either, because this contest will last for awhile as being really really good long after it ends. The first day was crazy with the Deus Ex > Rock Band 2 match, the last day was crazy with the final, and we got a whole ton of crazy in between. Only round 2 was really disappointing, and that was only because we had so many upset recipients from round 1 getting beat later. All in all, best contest. If you look at all the other contests people have called the "best", they're often overrated. Summer 2002 had a great round 3 and onward, but have you looked at the bracket recently? It was terrible. Summer 2003 was great, but only in spurts. Spring 2004 was good, but suffered from divisions by era and got wholly bailed out by Division 128 being so good. Match Fall 2010 up against any other contest, and it comes out looking better. People also took the "Game of the Decade" title very seriously, and the bracket was filled with a ton of worthy games. For whatever reason, be it critical acclaim, social influence, gaming influence or just plain being a damn good game, these games were all worthy of the title (bracket order, and with all joking and personal bias aside): Fallout 3, Deus Ex, Rock Band 2, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Halo: Combat Evolved, Metroid Prime, Okami, God of War, Grand Theft Auto 3, Half-Life 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Guitar Hero 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Super Smash Bros. Brawl (seriously), Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda: Twilight Princess, BioShock, Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Devil May Cry, Resident F***ing Evil 4 (my own personal choice), Silent Hill 2, Braid, Portal, Mass Effect, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, World of Warcraft, Diablo 2, Shadow of the Colossus, The Sims, Zelda: Majora's Mask, Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion That's almost a quarter of the bracket, which speaks to how smart people were in nominating and how smart Allen was in setting all this up. Last but not least... The Ultimate Loser!™ = Resident Evil 5! Majora's Mask > Brawl > Fallout 3 > Metroid Prime > Half-Life 2 > God of War > Tales of Symphonia > Resident Evil 5 No need for sympathy here, since RE5 will go down as the most impressive Ultimate Loser™ ever. None of the matches in that chain went above 55-45 and RE5 was in the top quarter of the raw x-stats. See you all next contest! Hope you enjoyed this season's edition of the Post-Contest Analysis! 2010 Contest - Useful Articles * Board 8's Fall 2010 Nominations * Fall 2010 Vote-In Polls * Fall 2010 Odds to Win * 2010 Fall Contest Matches - detailed write-ups on every '10 Fall Contest poll * Most Surprising Results of Fall 2010 * Most Impressive Performances of Fall 2010 Bracket Contest Bracket North Division Fallout 3 Halo: Combat Evolved Fallout 3 Metroid Prime Fallout 3 Smash Bros. Brawl Smash Bros. Brawl ZELDA: MAJORA'S MASK (1) Fallout 3 (16) inFamous Fallout 3 Deus Ex Fallout 3 Batman: Arkham Asylum (8) Rock Band 2 (9) Deus Ex (5) Batman: Arkham Asylum (12) Psychonauts Batman: Arkham Asylum Team Fortress 2 (4) Team Fortress 2 (13) Fable (3) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (14) The Legend of Dragoon Uncharted 2 Street Fighter IV Uncharted 2 Halo: Combat Evolved (6) Sonic Adventure 2 (11) Street Fighter IV (7) Halo 3 (10) Super Mario Sunshine Halo 3 Halo: Combat Evolved (2) Halo: Combat Evolved (15) Ninja Gaiden Northeast Division Metroid Prime Half-Life 2 (1) Metroid Prime (16) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Metroid Prime Devil May Cry 3 Metroid Prime Okami (8) Mother 3 (9) Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (5) Demon's Souls (12) Mega Man 9 Mega Man 9 Okami (4) Okami (13) No More Heroes (3) Tales of Symphonia (14) Resident Evil 5 Tales of Symphonia God of War God of War Half-Life 2 (6) God of War (11) Left 4 Dead (7) LittleBigPlanet (10) Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto III Half-Life 2 (2) Half-Life 2 (15) Left 4 Dead 2 East Division Smash Bros. Melee Smash Bros. Brawl Smash Bros. Brawl Zelda: Twilight Princess (1) Super Smash Bros. Melee (16) Guitar Hero II Smash Bros. Melee Morrowind Smash Bros. Melee Call of Duty 4 (8) Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (9) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (5) Perfect Dark (12) Conker's Bad Fur Day Perfect Dark Call of Duty 4 (4) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (13) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (3) Pokémon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum (14) Metroid Fusion Pokémon DPP Fire Emblem: Path Pokémon DPP Smash Bros. Brawl (6) WWF No Mercy (11) Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (7) Valkyria Chronicles (10) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Valkyria Chronicles Smash Bros. Brawl (2) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (15) Mario Kart DS Southeast Division Zelda: Twilight Princess Kingdom Hearts II (1) Super Mario Galaxy (16) Beyond Good & Evil Super Mario Galaxy Pokémon RSE Super Mario Galaxy Zelda: Twilight Princess (8) Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (9) Grand Theft Auto IV (5) Dragon Age: Origins (12) F-Zero GX Dragon Age: Origins Zelda: Twilight Princess (4) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (13) Shenmue (3) BioShock (14) Star Wars: Battlefront II BioShock Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts II Kingdom Hearts (6) Kingdom Hearts II (11) Halo 2 (7) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (10) Dissidia: Final Fantasy Modern Warfare 2 Kingdom Hearts (2) Kingdom Hearts (15) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow South Division Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy X Resident Evil 4 Final Fantasy X Zelda: Majora's Mask (1) Final Fantasy X (16) Viewtiful Joe Final Fantasy X Borderlands Final Fantasy X Golden Sun (8) Tales of Vesperia (9) Borderlands (5) Golden Sun (12) Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Golden Sun GTA: San Andreas (4) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (13) Dead Space (3) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (14) Devil May Cry Star Wars: KotOR Fire Emblem Star Wars: KotOR Final Fantasy IX (6) Fire Emblem (11) Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (7) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 (10) Civilization IV Persona 3 Final Fantasy IX (2) Final Fantasy IX (15) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations Southwest Division Resident Evil 4 Portal (1) Resident Evil 4 (16) Jet Grind Radio Resident Evil 4 GTA: Vice City Resident Evil 4 Persona 4 (8) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (9) Silent Hill 2 (5) The World Ends With You (12) Dead Rising Dead Rising Persona 4 (4) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (13) Braid (3) Portal (14) Gears of War 2 Portal Final Fantasy XII Portal Mass Effect (6) Final Fantasy XII (11) Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (7) Skies of Arcadia (10) Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn Skies of Arcadia Mass Effect (2) Mass Effect (15) Plants vs. Zombies West Division Metal Gear Solid 3 Shadow of the Colossus Metal Gear Solid 3 Zelda: Majora's Mask (1) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (16) TimeSplitters 2 Metal Gear Solid 3 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Metal Gear Solid 3 Paper Mario (8) Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (9) New Super Mario Bros. Wii (5) Paper Mario (12) Katamari Damacy Paper Mario World of Warcraft (4) World of Warcraft (13) Animal Crossing (3) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (14) Assassin's Creed Metal Gear Solid 4 Diablo II Metal Gear Solid 4 Shadow of the Colossus (6) Diablo II (11) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (7) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (10) Banjo-Tooie Metal Gear Solid 2 Shadow of the Colossus (2) Shadow of the Colossus (15) The Sims Northwest Division Zelda: Majora's Mask Zelda: Wind Waker (1) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (16) Wii Sports Zelda: Majora's Mask Chrono Cross Zelda: Majora's Mask Pokémon GSC (8) Chrono Cross (9) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (5) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (12) Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart Wii Pokémon GSC (4) Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal (13) Advance Wars (3) The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (14) God of War II Zelda: Wind Waker Assassin's Creed II Zelda: Wind Waker Oblivion (6) Assassin's Creed II (11) ICO (7) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (10) Gears of War Paper Mario: TTYD Oblivion (2) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (15) SoulCalibur II Trivia * Coming soon Category:GameFAQs Contests